The present invention involves microwave cooking. More particularly, the present invention is a susceptor structure for use in a microwave oven.
Heating of foods in a microwave oven differs significantly from heating of foods in a conventional oven. In a conventional oven, heat energy is applied to the exterior surface of the food and moves inward until the food is cooked. Thus, food cooked conventionally is typically hot on the outer surfaces and warm in the center.
Microwave cooking, on the other hand, involves absorption of microwaves which characteristically penetrate far deeper into the food than does infrared radiation (heat). Also, in microwave cooking, the air temperature in a microwave oven may be relatively low. Therefore, it is not uncommon for food cooked in a microwave oven to be cooler on the surface and much hotter in the center.
However, in order to make the exterior surfaces of food brown and crisp, the exterior surfaces of the food must be heated to a sufficient degree such that moisture on the exterior surfaces of the food is driven away. Since the exterior surfaces of food cooked in a microwave oven are typically cooler than the interior of the food, it is difficult to brown food and make it crisp in a microwave oven.
In order to facilitate browning and crisping of food in a microwave oven, devices known as susceptors have been developed. Susceptors are devices which, when exposed to microwave energy, become very hot. By placing a susceptor next to a food product in a microwave oven, the surface of the food product exposed to the susceptor is surface-heated by the susceptor. Thus, moisture on the surface of the food is driven away from the surface of the food and the food becomes crisp and brown.
Many conventional susceptor structures have included a thin metal film, typically aluminum, deposited on a substrate such as polyester. The metalized layer of polyester is typically bonded, for support, to a support member such as a sheet of paperboard or corrugated paper.
Conventional susceptors, however, have certain drawbacks. They undergo a process, referred to herein as "breakup," in which the electrical continuity of the thin metal film is lost during cooking. The result of the loss of electrical continuity is an irreversible loss in the susceptor's microwave responsiveness and a lower level of percent power absorption by the susceptor during cooking. Lower power absorption leads to lower susceptor cooking temperatures and a corresponding decrease in the susceptor's ability to crisp food.
As an example of conventional susceptor operation, a frozen food product is placed on a susceptor. The susceptor and the food product are then subjected to microwave energy in a microwave oven. Since the imaginary part of the complex relative dielectric constant of ice is very low, the frozen food product is initially a poor absorber of microwave energy. Therefore, the susceptor is exposed to nearly the full amount of the microwave energy delivered in the microwave oven, heats rapidly and begins to undergo breakup. Meanwhile, the frozen food product absorbs very little energy.
As the frozen food product thaws and starts absorbing microwave energy, the ability of the susceptor to continue to absorb energy, and thereby continue to surface heat the food product, has already been significantly and irreversibly deteriorated by breakup. Since this deterioration (i.e., the change in the electrical continuity of the susceptor) is irreversible, the susceptor is incapable of absorbing enough of the microwave energy attenuated by the thawed food product to properly brown and crisp the food product. Therefore, although breakup prevents the susceptor from heating to a point where it would scorch paper (i.e., breakup prevents runaway heating) it also prevents the susceptor from achieving sustained heating.
Inconel has been used in susceptors in the past. However, these susceptors have been complex structures having multiple layers of Inconel on a plurality of sides of a substrate, where the susceptor did not achieve desired cooking performance.
Thus, there is a continuing need for the development of susceptor structures which are capable of continued heating and crisping of food products during microwave cooking.